Overview
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector contributed 12 percent to GDP in 2019, generating about $5 billion revenue and creating around 600,000 direct jobs. The number of foreign arrivals reached 6.6 million in 2019. Like much of the rest of the world, Cambodia’s tourism industry declined tremendously in 2021 due to government-mandated quarantines, curfews, and travel restrictions. Cambodia lifted quarantine requirements for international visitors in mid-November 2021, which helped the number of internal arrivals rebound to 2.3 million in 2022. The Ministry of Tourism is expecting five million foreign visitors to Cambodia for 2023. Most tourists are attracted to the historical/cultural complex of Angkor Wat, but an increasing number of tourists are also visiting the beaches in and around Sihanoukville.
| Tourism Inflows | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 (Jan.-Jul) |
| Number of International Tourists | 6,610,592 | 1,306,143 | 196,495 | 2,276,626 | 3,037,344 |
| Number of American Tourists | 248,863 | 55,973 | 1,057 | 34,917 | 110,697 |
| Total Tourism Receipts | 4,919* | 1,023* | 184* | 1,415* | N/A |
Unit: USD Millions
Data Source: Ministry of Tourism
Leading Sub-Sectors
The airport in the southern coastal town of Sihanoukville was expanded and upgraded in 2020 to accommodate larger aircraft, primarily from China, and the government has approved a number of resort development projects by international and Cambodian developers on the country’s islands, southern coastline, and mountain areas. The government is also looking to open up more of the country to eco-tourism, capitalizing on natural resources such as mountains, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and rare animal species like the Mekong dolphin.
Opportunities
Cambodia’s tourism developments present market opportunities for U.S. companies to develop resort or tourist attractions and supply tourism-related products or infrastructure as the sector continues to recover from the pandemic.
Resources
- Ministry of Tourism
- Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction
- Council for the Development of Cambodia
- Cambodia Association of Travel Agents
- Cambodia Hotel Association